Distinguished Teaching Award
"The Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA), is the University's most prestigious honor in teaching. The award is presented annually to three full-time faculty members who exhibit extraordinary teaching in the classroom and a devotion to touching the lives of students."
2006 Winner
For the past 16 years, Dr. Murali Shanker has molded the academic careers of countless students at Kent State. In recognition of his work, he was awarded one of the 2006 Distinguished Teaching Awards.
Shanker, a native of India, is an associate professor of management and information systems (MIS). After earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s in applied mathematics from the University of Madras, India, Shanker came to the United States to pursue his interests in research and education.
"I always wanted to do my Ph.D.," he says, "and then came to University of Minnesota to pursue a doctorate in management science. After I graduated, Kent State was one of the universities that offered me an appointment. Kent offered the best blend of teaching and research focus, so I accepted the appointment in 1990."
Shanker never saw himself getting into teaching. Prior to his arrival in the United States, he worked a few years as a systems analyst at Sarabhai Industries, a multinational company in Baroda, India. However, his thirst for greater knowledge soon found him once again in the classroom.
After being assigned teaching responsibilities during his doctoral work, Shanker fell in love with the profession. His passion for higher education has a simple root: the students.
"I am glad that I have the opportunity to contribute toward the learning of other students," says Shanker. "My goal is to find a way so that any student who wants to learn should be able to do it."
Shanker’s ongoing research, published in several prestigious journals, has explored areas of knowledge management and data mining, IS flexibility, distributed computation and simulation.
"I think research and teaching are two sides of the same coin," he says. "I use my research to explore new ideas and my teaching to see how I can convey these ideas clearly. Good research helps me become a better teacher, and good teaching helps clarify ideas. So, for me, the blend is essential to growth."
Both his skills as a teacher and as a researcher are continually put to the test.
"I am constantly revising my teaching methods," he says. "Every year, students come with different backgrounds and learning skills, so my teaching methods are a work in progress. I am far from finding a complete solution, but hopefully, I have made some incremental steps toward it. I do enjoy the challenge, though."
Tenure-track faculty members are nominated for the Distinguished Teaching Awards awards by students, faculty and staff. The awards are sponsored by the Alumni Association.
2003 Winner
Dr. B. Eddy Patuwo is a professor of operations management and operations research in the Department of Management and Information Systems in the Graduate School of Management. Patuwo has taught undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D.-level courses at Kent State since 1988. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from the University of Regina in Saskatchewan in 1979 and 1981 and completed his Ph.D. in industrial engineering and operations research at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1989. Patuwo teaches difficult material, but students praise him for engaging and motivating them. “Being an expert in a field and being able to successfully teach the subject is something that only the finest educators are able to accomplish. Eddy certainly has mastered this art,” wrote Claudia Phipps, academic adviser for the College of Business Administration and former student.
1994 Winner
Michael Hu, Ph.D., received a B.A. in business administration from Ohio University in 1970. He earned an M.B.A. (1972) and a Ph.D. (1977) from the University of Minnesota. Hu joined the Kent State faculty in 1981. He has co-authored two books, published 100 papers in refereed journals and made more than 100 paper presentations at national and international conferences. His research focuses on three areas: international business, marketing research and artificial neural networks. He is best known for his work on frequent flyer programs and on Sino-foreign joint ventures. He is primarily responsible for teaching marketing management and marketing research at the MBA level. Hu has an international reputation as an expert on Sino-foreign business ventures and investment. His research has contributed substantially to an understanding of consumer responses to surveys. Hu’s paper “Forecasting With Neural Networks: The State of the Art” was named an outstanding paper in 1998-99 by the International Institute of Forecasters.
1984 Winner
Harold R. Williams (Emeritus), Professor of Economics and International Business, received his M.A. in Economics from Penn State University, Ph.D. in Economics from Nebraska and did post-doctorate work at Harvard University. He teaches, conducts research, and consults in international trade, international finance, international business, and government policy. Dr. Williams has written and co-authored over 60 articles and books and given over 125 professional speeches throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. His publications, interviews, and lectures have covered such topics as U.S. trade policy with Japan, China, and the four tigers; inflation and unemployment; foreign exchange rates; the European Community; NAFTA; international investment; Reaganomics; the international competition position of the U.S.; and GATT. Dr. Williams has received the EMBA Most -Valued-Professor award. He was appointed by Ohio Governor Richard F. Celeste to serve on the Ohio Trade Council, and is on the Experts List of the United Nations.
1970 Winner
In 1948 Paul Pfeiffer became a full-time faculty member in the College of Business Administration at Kent. Paul left behind a successful business career to share his experiences and insights with others. For thirty-one years Paul taught, advised, mentored, and influenced. You would be hard-pressed to find a student who attended the College of Business Administration between 1948 and 1979 who was not influenced by Professor Pfeiffer. Paul´s caring style, coupled with his philosophy of stressing real world experiences in the classroom, made him a mainstay in the college for over three decades. To stress the importance of bringing real world knowledge to the classroom and to reward faculty who enhance class lectures with relevant workplace experiences, Professor Pfeiffer introduced the Paul L. Pfeiffer Professional and Creative Teaching Award in 1995.
